^V*^J>f   ^o-A. 


A  Sketch 

of  the  School  of 

The  Misses  Nash 

and  Miss  Kollock 

Hillsboro,  N.  C. 


1 


By 

Mrs.  W.  S.  Primrose 

Raleigh,  N.  C. 
1926 


A  SKETCH 

of  the 

School  of  the  Misses  Nash  and 
Miss  Kollock 

Hillsboro,  North  Carolina 


THIS  PAMPHLET 
is  lovingly  dedicated  to  the  memory  of 

Misses  Nash  and  Miss  Kollock 

and  the  many  girls  who,  for  thirty  years, 

came  within  the  power  of  their 

beneficial  influence 

Being  dead,  yet  speaketh. — Heb.ll:4 
Mrs.  W.  S.  Primrose 

RALEIGH,  N.  C. 


hi 

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1-3       H 

16 

1     « 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


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<=* 


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KTSl 


A  Sketch  of  An  Old-Fashioned  School 


Education  of  the  youth  of  North  Carolina  is  compul- 
sory today,  and  rapid  strides  are  being  made  in  the 
elimination  of  illiteracy.  Schoolhouses  dot  the  country- 
side in  all  sections  of  the  State,  advancement  in  teach- 
ing systems  and  in  the  equipment  of  new  school  buildings 
-are  keeping  pace  with  the  times.  The  little  red  school- 
house,  which  poets  like  to  write  about  in  sonnets  is, 
with  few  exceptions,  now  a  thing  of  the  past.  In  years 
gone  by  public  schools  were  little  known,  and  only  those 
people  who  were  financially  able  to  attend  the  private 
schools  and  academies,  and  who  realized  the  great  ad- 
vantages to  be  gained  through  an  education,  attended 
school  at  all. 

Education  in  North  Carolina  dates  back  to  colonial 
days  when  the  first  private  schools  were  established,  and 
gradually  this  cause  has  advanced  until  today  it  is  the 
happy  privilege  of  every  boy  and  girl  throughout  the 
land  to  secure  a  well  trained  mind  in  the  public  schools. 
Higher  education  is  also  made  easy  for  all  who  have  the 
desire  and  courage  to  pursue  his  or  her  studies  in  col- 
lege or  university. 

Back  in  18  60  a  private  school,  conceived  in  the  minds 
of  women  left  practically  penniless,  began  to  fulfill  its 
mission  in  the  town  of  Hillsboro,  N.  C.  For  thirty  years 
it  was  a  great  power  in  the  work  of  training  the  minds 
of  the  girlhood  of  the  State,  and  during  that  time  many 
people,  who  later  played  conspicuous  parts  in  the  life 
of  the  State,  secured  their  training  there.  This  was 
■  J  known  as  "The  Select  Boarding  and  Day  School  of  the 
s^  Misses  Nash  and  Miss  Kollock.,,     This  little  school  also 

«  3 

*0  ^^M^ 


A  SKETCH  OP  THE  SCHOOL  OF  THE 


exerted  a  most  effective  and  highly  moral  influence  upon 
the  State  during  its  thirty  years  of  life,  through  the 
excellent  training  given  by  these  consecrated  Christian 
women — pioneers  in  the  cause  of  education.  One  of  the 
things  which  made  the  school  peculiarly  attractive  was 
the  great  personal  care  and  attention  given  directly  by  the 
heads  of  the  institution  to  the  individual  student.  Only 
food  of  the  most  wholesome  kind  was  placed  upon  the 
table  each  day.  It  has  now  been  more  than  fifty  years 
since  my  school  days  in  old  Hillsboro,  yet  I  have  never 
tasted  such  brown  bread,  egg  bread,  hot  rolls,  and  tea- 
cakes  and  other  "delectables"  as  came  from  the  culinary 
skill  of  "Aunt  Becky"  in  the  kitchen.  There  was  no  indi- 
gestion in  those  days,  no  overloading  the  stomach  with 
heavy,  poorly  prepared  food.  It  was  a  rule  that  no  un- 
pleasant subjects  should  be  discussed  at  meals,  but  only 
agreeable  conversation  and  such  as  would  aid  digestion 
rather  than  hinder  it.  During  the  entire  thirty  years  of 
its  service  there  was  not  a  single  instance  of  severe 
illness  among  the  pupils  of  the  school,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  case  of  typhoid  fever  contracted  at  home  and 
developing  after  the  girl  had  reached  school. 

The  old  school  building  still  stands  in  its  exact  loca- 
tion of  years  ago,  and  is  one  of  the  most  historic  and 
prized  relics  of  by-gone  days.  It  was  erected  in  1769 
by  the  private  secretary  of  Governor  Tryon,  and  was  one 
of  the  most  imposing  structures  of  its  day.  The  building 
was  closely  associated  with  the  days  of  the  Regulators 
and  the  many  stirring  scenes  enacted  in  its  vicinity  lead- 
ing to  and  following  the  Revolutionary  War.  Many  con- 
ferences pertaining  to  the  business  of  the  King  of  Eng- 
land were  held  within  its  doors.  It  has  stood  through- 
out the  years  as  one  of  the  landmarks  of  the  town  and 
the  State. 


MISSES  NASH  AND  MISS  KOMjOCK 


In  1807  Frederic  Nash,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State,  purchased  the  property  and  moved 
from  New  Bern  to  Hillsbdro,  where  he  made  his  perma- 
nent home. 

At  his  death  in  1858  it  was  found  his  estate  was  en- 
cumbered by  an  indebtedness  arising  out  of  his  pur- 
chase of  an  interest  in  the  coal  field  lands  in  Chatham 
County.  His  immediate  family,  depending  upon  him  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  consisted  of  his  widow  and  two 
unmarried  daughters,  Misses  Sallie  and  Maria  Nash. 
Confronted  with  the  embarrassing  conditions  arising  from 
Judge  Nash's  estate,  the  trio  of  women  gave  serious  con- 
sideration to  their  future.  They  decided  to  open  a 
boarding  and  day  school  for  girls  in  the  old  home  place 
as  a  means  of  saving  both  the  homestead  and  the  Chat- 
ham coal  lands,  as  well  as>  play  their  part  in  the  cause 
of  education. 

Miss  Sara  Kollock,  a  first  cousin  of  the  Misses  Nash, 
who  was  a  highly  cultivated  and  trained  teacher,  was 
asked  to  join  them  in  the  undertaking,  which  she  agreed 
to  do.  Being  of  French  descent  and  highly  polished  in 
the  French  language,  she  took  charge  of  that  depart- 
ment, and  became  famous. 

So  the  school  was  opened  for  scholars  in  the  early 
winter  of  1860  under  the  title  of  "The  Select  Boarding 
and  Day  School  of  the  Misses  Nash  and  Miss  Kollock. " 
It  prospered  from  the  beginning,  and  instead  of  having 
its  usefulness  impaired  by  the  Civil  War,  it  was  filled  to 
capacity  during  the  whole  period. 

Mrs.  Nash  was  an  unusually  strong  character — quick 
of  perception,  and  great  determination  of  purpose.  It  is 
told  of  her  that  after  the  war,  during  the  unsettled  state 
of  affairs  among  both  white  and  colored,  she  was  sitting 


A  SKETCH  OF  THE  SCHOOL  OF  THE 


one  evening  in  her  bed-room  before  a  roaring  fire;  she 
heard  behind  her  stealthy  footsteps.  On  looking  around 
she  observed  a  burly  negro  man  approaching.  With  her 
usual  quick  perception,  she  ran  the  poker  in  a  bed  of 
red  hot  coals  of  fire.  Turning,  she  spoke  politely  to  the 
negro,  ostensibly  with  some  effort  to  draw  him  into  con- 
versation, all  the  time  watching  closely  the  poker;  and 
when  she  saw  it  was  sufficiently  hot  she  jerked  it  from 
the  fire,  and  brandishing  it  aloft,  ran  the  negro  from  the 
house,  telling  him  she  would  burn  out  his  eyes  if  he 
tarried. 

During  the  war  period  money  was  scarce,  and  many 
of  the  patrons  of  the  school  paid  the  tuition  fees  in  food 
supplies.  The  school  suffered,  of  course,  from  financial 
difficulties  and  otherwise,  yet  its  capacity  for  boarders 
was  not  hindered,  and  so  steadily  was  the  growth  in  en- 
rollment of  students  that  it  was  found  necessary  to 
make  an  addition  to  the  house  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
Civil  War. 

There  hung  in  the  parlor  at  the  old  Nash  home  school 
a  most  beautiful  oil  painting  of  Judge  Nash.  How  I 
loved  to  steal  away  and  stand  before  it,  gazing  admir- 
ingly into  his  kindly  eyes  and  benevolent  countenance. 
I  thought  he  was  the  handsomest  man  I  had  ever  seen. 
That  portrait  today  adorns  the  wall  of  our  Supreme 
Court  room  in  Raleigh. 

After  existing  for  thirty  years,  during  which  time  it 
had  played  its  part  most  nobly  in  the  education  of  the 
girls  of  North  Carolina,  the  school  was  closed  as  a 
boarding  school  in  189  0,  the  good  women  in  charge  of 
it  having  at  that  time  reached  an  age  which  justified 
them  in  retiring1  from  active  duties,  such  as  conducting 
a  school.     Throughout  the  whole  time  of  their  adminis- 

6 


MISSES  NASH  AND  MISS  KOLIiOCK 


tration,  besides  themselves,  they  engaged  active  teachers, 
competent  experts  as  heads  of  the  departments  of  music, 
art  and  the  classics  of  higher  worth.  It  was  a  small 
school  as  schools  of  this  class  are  termed  today,  but 
very  select;  the  boarding  students  averaged  from  twenty- 
five  to  thirty. 

So  much  for  the  historical  value  of  this  sacred  place; 
to  many  of  those  who  attended  school  there  during  the 
thirty  years  of  its  existence  who  are  still  alive,  it  is  in- 
deed a  most  sacred  place,  for  it  was  there  that  they,  as 
girls  and  young  women,  received  the  education  necessary 
to  fit  them  for  after  life.  To  them  the  old  building  is 
the  symbol  of  right  living  and  a  pioneer  in  the  cause  of 
education. 

How  well  do  I  recall  the  sultry  August  afternoon  more 
than  fifty  years  ago  when  a  little  girl,  my  father  leading 
me  by  the  hand,  placed  me  in  the  care  of  these  noble 
women.  We  had  left  Raleigh  a  few  hours  previous;  a 
wreck  had  occurred  on  the  road  a  short  distance  from 
our  destination,  and  we  were  told  we  must  walk  the  rest 
of  the  way.  There  had  been  a  heavy  thunder  storm,  and 
the  red  mud  was  almost  ankle  deep.  When  I  reached 
the  school  I  was  literally  covered  with  red  mud  from 
head  to  foot.  I  had  slipped  and  fallen  several  times  in 
trying  to  climb  the  hills  at  the  station.  Imagine  my 
timidity  on  meeting  strangers  in  this  plight  when  we  are 
always  so  anxious  to  present,  on  first  sight,  a  good  ap- 
pearance. A  change  of  clothing  was  soon  provided  for 
me,  for  with  the  slowness  of  the  times,  I  was  told  to 
expect  my  trunk  two  or  three  days  later. 

So  thus  my  days  at  the  school  of  "The  Misses  Nash 


A  SKETCH  OF  THE  SCHOOL  OF  THE 


and  Miss  Kollock"  began.  I  was  there  four  long  years. 
Today  my  heart  is  full  of  thanksgiving  that  my  lot  was 
cast  in  this  direction;  that  Providence  led  my  parents 
to  choose  this  place  for  my  education.  I  feel  if  there 
has  been  anything  worth  while  accomplished  in  my  life, 
a  great  part  of  it  has  been  due  to  these  noble  Christian 
women.  The  four  years  I  spent  there  were  not  "on 
flowery  beds  of  ease,"  but  of  hard  application — of  early 
rising  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  busy  until  nine 
o'clock  bed  time  the  year  around — each  period  of  the 
day  of  twenty  to  thirty  minutes  marked  by  the  ringing 
of  a  bell;  then  the  satisfaction  of  a  day  well  spent,  a 
good  night's  rest,  the  ringing  of  the  rising  bell  again  at 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  a  new  day  began. 

As  far  back  as  the  sixties  there  were  few  or  no  com- 
forts in  the  mode  of  living — no  plumbing,  no  bath  tubs, 
no  gas  nor  electricity — but  oil  lamps  and  candles.  Yet 
we  were  required  to  be  clean,  and  our  bathing  water,  hot 
and  cold,  was  lugged  by  servants  to  the  second  floor. 
Every  morning  a  bath  to  the  waist  in  the  coldeot  water 
I  ever  felt;  twice  each  week  a  whole  hot  bath.  How 
gladly  we  would  have  sometimes,  in  bitter  cold  weather, 
shirked  this  duty,  but  it  was  a  rule  to  be  observed  with 
the  greatest  rigidity. 

How  well  do  I  recall  the  walks  we  took  every  after- 
noon when  the  weather  permitted,  accompanied  by  a 
teacher — such  a  relief  from  study  hour  and  school  room. 
With  what  anxiety  we  would  wait  to  hear  the  direction 
we  were  to  take,  whether  through  the  town  by  the  old 
courthouse,  now  standing  today,  with  a  glimpse  of  the 
clock  in  the  cupola  still  ticking  away  the  time  as  when 


MISSES  NASH  AND  MISS  KOLLOCK 


given  many,  many  years  ago  to  the  town  by  King 
George  III  of  England — or  whether  through  the  beautiful 
grounds  of  the  Cameron  estate,  the  prettiest  I  had  ever 
seen — or  through  The  Dark  Walk  on  the  banks  of  the 
Eno,  shaded  and  made  mysterious  by  the  dark,  over- 
hanging vines  and  branches  of  lovely  trees — and  weird 
love  stories,  or  up  to  the  mountains  so  beautiful,  so 
fragrant,  especially  in  the  spring,  with  rhododendron, 
trailing  arbutus,  and  many,  many  mountain  shrubs  and 
flowers.  >  We  were  in  the  heyday  of  youth  then,  and 
enjoyed  everything. 

This  was  a  Presbyterian  school,  and  the  training  re- 
ceived in  the  Bible,  catechism  and  hymn  knowledge  will 
last  forever.  Our  Sabbaths  were  spent  strictly  in 
accordance  with  the  teachings  of  Isaiah — no  undue 
levity,  no  frivolous  talking,  no  reading  nor  writing  let- 
ters, but  quietness  and  suitable  reading,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  day  a  Bible  lesson  and  hymn  singing.  It 
would  be  a  source  of  great  amusement  today  to  see  how 
we  paraded  in  the  presence  of  Miss  Maria,  to  decide 
if  we  were  too  gaudily  attired  for  church,  and  with  the 
correct  amount  of  money  in  hand.  It  was  not  unusual 
to  be  sent  back  to  our  rooms  to  change  a  dress,  because 
it  was  not  considered  suitable — too  gay  for  church.  I 
can  conceive  of  no  better  training  of  the  principles  of 
"The  Golden  Rule"  than  we  received  at  this  school.  It 
has  indeed  made  an  impression  upon  my  mind  and 
heart.  There  is  scarcely  a  feeling  of  doubt  coming  to 
me  today  but  I  ask  myself  the  question  I  was  taught 
when  in  Hillsboro,  "How  would  I  like  to  be  treated  if 
I  were  in  his  or  her  place?"     Moral  and  mental  training 


A  SKETCH  OF  THE  SCHOOL  OF  THE 


were  closely  allied  in  this  school — in  fact  they  went 
hand  and  hand. 

A  young  girl  was  sent  to  Misses  Nash  and  Miss  Kol- 
lock's.  She  was  an  only  daughter,  the  youngest  of  her 
family  and  greatly  petted.  One  day  she  received  a  let- 
ter from  home.  After  opening  it  we  soon  heard  the 
most  heartrending  screams;  all  rushed  to  the  girl's 
room,  found  her  lying  prostrate  upon  the  bed  overcome 
with  grief.  No  one  could  gain  satisfaction  regarding  the 
trouble,  but  it  was  evident  it  was  produced  by  the  letter. 
Soon  Miss  Maria — the  soother  of  all  trouble — walked  in 
with  her  usual  quiet  dignity,  and  on  asking  the  cause 
of  the  trouble,  the  girl  replied,  "My  mother  is  ill;  she 
has  had  a  child. "  Miss  Maria,  in  her  gentle  manner, 
said,  "My  dear,  let  me  see  your  letter/'  On  reading  it 
she  found  the  girl  had  made  a  mistake.  The  letter  said, 
"Mother  is  ill;  she  has  had  a  chill."  Immediately  on 
hearing  the  correct  state  of  affairs  the  girls  in  the  room 
were  convulsed  with  merriment,  and  ready  to  tantalize 
the  poor  girl  to  death  with  fun-making.  Miss  Maria, 
realizing  this,  quietly  called  us  all  to  the  schoolroom, 
and  behind  closed  doors  gave  us  such  a  talk  as  we  never 
forgot,  saying,  "Put  yourself  in  her  place;  would  you 
like  because  of  a  mistake  to  be  laughed  at  and  made  the 
butt  of  amusement;  it  was  a  serious  matter  with  her." 
From  that  moment  it  was  a  sealed  subject. 

Another  time  a  motherless,  spoiled  girl  was  sent  to 
Misses  Nash  and  Miss  Kollock  to  be  cared  for,  and  it 
seemed  that  an  unusual  number  of  this  kind  came  there. 
It  was  a  strict  rule  that  before  retiring  we  should  comb 
our  hair  and  plait  it.  This  girl  had  an  unusually  splen- 
did suit  of  red  hair.     We   had  retired   all  in  the  best 

10 


MISSES  NASH  AND  MISS  KOWiOCK 


spirits,  and  after  a  few  hours  of  rest  there  was  again 
screaming  which  aroused  the  whole  household;  such 
rushing  about  and  tossing  of  red  hair  we  had  never 
seen  before,  when  in  walked  Miss  Maria  with  her  usual 
quiet  dignity  of  manner,  lamp  in  hand,  and  commanded 
silence,  and  to  know  the  cause  of  the  disturbance. 
When  sifted  to  the  bottom  it  was  found  that  a  little 
mouse  had  gotten  into  the  girl's  plaits,  and  in  the 
scuffle  to  get  out  had  produced  the  frenzy.  Again  Miss 
Maria  poured  oil  on  the  troubled  waters — forbade  a 
single  one  to  jest  over  the  matter,  but  to  do  as  we  would 
be  done  by.  These  lessons  left  a  lasting  impression. 
Many,  many  incidents  of  school  life  flood  my  memory  as 
I  write.  Miss  Maria  was  considered  a  great  beauty  in 
her  early  days — highly  cultured,  graceful  in  manner  and 
carriage,  the  daughter  of  a  judge — she  was  much  sought 
after  in  marriage,  but  never  married.  A  discarded 
suitor  became  a  prominent  professor  of  the  University 
of  North  Carolina.  He  married.  His  wife  dying  early, 
left  a  daughter.  When  she  became  old  enough  the 
father  sent  her  to  the  Misses  Nash  and  Miss  Kollock's 
to  be  under  the  special  care  of  Miss  Maria.  She  accepted 
the  child  as  her  own  charge.  She  slept  in  a  trundle  bed 
in  Miss  Maria's  room,  and  she  was  the  object  of  her 
peculiar  care.  She  was  rewarded  by  seeing  the  girl  de- 
velop into  a  lovely  woman,  and  marry  a  gifted  educator, 
who  became  the  president  of  two  state  universities. 

It  has  been  aptly  appraised  by  an  ex-student  that  Miss 
Maria  represented  the  brains,  Miss  Sallie  the  kindli- 
ness, and  Miss  Sara  the  steam — all  together  making  up 
the  institutional.  My  parents  educated  five  daughters  at 
the  Misses  Nash  and  Miss  Kollock's.  I  have  heard  my 
father   say   he   wished   he   had   five    more    daughters   to 

11 


A  SKETCH  OF  THE  SCHOOL  OF  THE 


send  there,  he  was  so  pleased  with  the  school.  Last 
year  while  holding  a  family  reunion  in  Raleigh — the 
five  sisters  all  being  present — in  our  times  of  retro- 
specting  we  often  spoke  of  old  Hillsboro  days,  and 
we  became  possessed  with  the  desire  to  visit  again,  and 
together,  the  old  school,  so  we  set  aside  a  day  for  the 
pleasure.  After  first  going  to  the  school  we  found  it, 
oh  so  changed;  we  next  went  to  the  graveyard,  and  were 
saddened  because  we  could  not  find  the  graves  of  Miss 
Maria  and  Miss  Sara;  there  were  no  markers — nothing  to 
show  where  they  had  been  buried.  Time,  the  leveler  of 
all  things,  had  done  his  work.  Miss  Sallie's  grave  has 
been  provided  with  a  handsome  marble  monument. 

After  coming  home  and  thinking  the  matter  over  seri- 
ously, I  felt  a  desire  to  do  something  to  relieve  the 
situation,  so  planned  to  write  to  each  girl  whose  name 
I  could  obtain,  to  ask  if  she  would  not  like  to  contribute 
something  towards  placing  markers  to  the  two  graves 
that  are  now  unmarked — some  way  to  show  to  the  world 
the  last  resting  places  of  those  two  noble  Christian 
women,  who  gave  so  much  of  their  time  and  their  lives 
in  helping  and  serving  others.  The  appeal  met  with 
great  response,  and  with  the  help  of  some  relatives,  we 
have  placed  a  tablet  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Hills- 
boro, with  the  following  inscription: 

Sacred 

To   the  Loving  Memory 

of 

Misses  Nash  and  Miss  Kollock 

by 

Their  Students 

1926 

"Being  Dead,  Yet  Speaketh." 

Heb.    11:4 
12 


MISSES  NASH  AND  MISS  KOLLOCK 


Then  in  the  family  plot  in  the  old  graveyard  there 
have  been  placed  two  neat,  substantial  granite  markers, 
one  to  Miss  Maria's  grave  and  the  other  to  Miss  Sara's, 
so  that  in  the  time  to  come  those  of  us  who  shall  visit 
these  spots  made  sacred  as  the  resting  places  of  these 
grand  women  can  bow  with  reverence  and  lift  hearts  and 
voices  in  praise  and  thanksgiving  that  the  privilege  was 
granted  us  to  come  within  the  power  of  their  beneficial 
influence. 


13 


